AC Milan must not let the season slip away in the negotiation room

23/12/2025 09:25:00 ceshi

The 0-2 loss to Napoli in the Italian Super Cup semifinal in Riyadh was more than a defeat on the scoreboard; it was evidence of Milan’s failure in the transfer dealings.

That day, Rasmus Hojlund — the striker Milan once chased but hesitated to finalize — scored one goal and assisted the other to sink the Rossoneri. In sharp contrast, the hastily signed Christopher Nkunku played terribly, missing Milan’s best scoring chance and contributing nothing to the team’s play. Having played half the season without scoring, the French forward may leave Milan this winter if any club makes an offer.

Nkunku is not the only disaster. Koni De Winter, the center-back who cost 20 million euros in the summer, displayed very amateurish performance against Hojlund’s strength. In his last two starts, the Belgian defender partly caused Milan’s elimination from two cup competitions (previously the 0-1 loss to Lazio in the Italian Cup round of 16). Allegri’s forced use of him due to a personnel crisis has revealed the alarming weakness in squad depth.

Fullkrug unlikely to boost Milan’s strength

Looking back at the summer transfer window, the few bright spots like Luka Modric or Adrien Rabiot were not thanks to the sporting directors’ skills. Modric came to San Siro mostly out of love and admiration for the red and black colors, while Rabiot was a specific tactical request from coach Max Allegri. The rest of the newcomers, especially De Winter and Nkunku, have been huge disappointments, not only failing to improve the team but becoming burdens whenever they play.

The urgent situation forces Milan to jump into the winter market. Allegri urgently needs a top striker to share the workload and a center-back who “plays smart” to strengthen the squad and hold their place in the Serie A race. However, the names linked, such as Niclas Fullkrug (West Ham striker) or Axel Disasi (Chelsea center-back), offer little hope. Milan once succeeded by picking up discarded Premier League players, benefiting from the brilliance of Tomori, Giroud, and Pulisic, but Nkunku’s failure shows that not every player rejected by the Premier League can shine in Serie A.

Fullkrug and Disasi are both out-of-favor players, rarely playing and carrying worrying injury records. If Milan continues to make mistakes in the winter negotiations, they may bury their last hopes for the season, despite the efforts of Allegri, Modric, or Pulisic on the pitch.